A Merry Potter Christmas
by RayQueen
Summary: The Evans' are off at the Dursley's for the holidays, so James invites Lily to spend the Christmas break with his family at his house. It will be a 5-chapter short-fic, as canon as I could make it and quite Sirius focused, tbh. My very first Marauders fanfiction, I hope you like it. Rated T for language.
1. A Merry Potter Meeting

A Merry Potter Christmas

Chapter 1 – A Merry Potter Meeting

The little snowflakes were piling up just outside the Hogwarts Express train, hypnotizing a very anxious Lily Evans, who had given up on the conversation happening around her a while ago. She was glad that, for once, all of her friends were on the same compartment. Alice, the kind one, Marlene, the loud one, Peter, the sweet one, Remus, the smart one, Sirius, the funny one, but a close second to Marlene's loud one title, and, finally, James, her newest friend and also her boyfriend.

She felt guilty for not paying attention to her friends' conversation, but she had absolutely no idea about what on God's green Earth was an Amata, an Asha and an Altheda, or why they sounded way too much like the characters from The Wizard of Oz. She really couldn't care less if Altheda cured Asha and got rich, when in only a few minutes she would be meeting James' mum and dad and she had no idea of what she would say to them. Lily tried her best to refocus on the conversation.

"Listen, all I'm saying is that I don't think Altheda really got rich with that potion if Asha was the only one with that disease. I mean, with some magic herbs from the side of an enchanted font, even _I_ could cure someone in the brink of death."

"Sirius, you couldn't cure someone in the brink of a cold, let alone someone dying," scoffed Marlene.

"Just because I don't like potions, it doesn't mean that I'm no good at them, Ms. McKinnon," he retorted with a raised eyebrow imitating his very favourite teacher, Minerva McGonagall.

"I'll give you that one. Only because I've seen your grades, and they really are astonishing for someone with your behaviour."

"Good looks only won't get you anywhere, my dear. You also need them brains," said Sirius tapping a finger at his temple and winking at her. "And, in my case, I need them candies, so I'm off to find the trolley lady. Excuse my gorgeous self."

"So, Ali," started Marlene, as Sirius closed the door behind him, "what are your plans for this Christmas?"

"Frank's coming over this year. Since my parents won't be in the country for New Year's, we're going to accompany his parents to the Potter's. Where are _you_ going?"

"Got it. Christmas with your family and New Year's with his. Smart. For Christmas, I guess we'll be staying at home, but we'll all see each other at the Potter's for New Year's," she gave them all a big and bright smile.

"Not all of us, though," said James with a little frown, "Wormy here will be all the way in New Zealand, won't you, bud?"

Peter nodded conflictedly. He wanted to be with his friends, but the idea of running away from the cold English December was too good to pass up.

Before he could add anything else to the conversation, the train stopped at King's Cross Station. Lily felt her hands grow even colder and her heart started pounding in her chest. James helped her get her trunk down, took his own, held her hand and, waving his friends goodbye, led her to where his parents were standing. It was pretty obvious who his parents were. He looked exactly like his dad, but his mom had the same playful smile on her face.

His mum hugged him tight, and smiled warmly at Lily, while James did an intricate handshake with his dad.

"You must be Lily, I take. You're every bit as beautiful as my James said you were." Lily blushed at Mrs. Potter comment, while James beamed with pride back by her side.

"It is really nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Potter." Under the Potter's kind eyes, Lily felt her nerves calming and her anxiety subsiding. "Thank you very much for letting me spend Christmas with you"

"Of course, dear. We would not let James' girlfriend spend Christmas at Hogwarts now, would we? He told us that your parents were staying with your sister's boyfriend, is that right?"

"Well, it's her fiancé now, so they thought it would be a good idea to get to know each other as a soon to be big happy family," Lily's tone was bitter, but Mrs. Potter did not extend the subject any longer. James had told her about Lily's family situation and she did not intend to pry. She knew exactly what it was like to not get along with a family member.

"Mum, I'm starving. Can we go now?"

"Yes, we can. But aren't you forgetting something, young man?" James looked genuinely confused at his mother's question.

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know." She raised her eyebrows mockingly. "Like the other unruly teenager that lives in our house."

"Shit!" James dashed out as realization dawned on him. He shouted over his shoulder, "I'll be right back!"

"You'd think that he would remember his own brother," Mrs. Potter shook her head in mock disapproval.

"I'm sorry about his language, Mrs. Potter," said Lily, watching her boyfriend moving along with his best friend in tow.

"Don't be," replied Mr. Potter, quickly, "he got it all from her." Mrs. Potter punched his arm lightly, shooting him a dirty look. "Ouch, woman. Control your temper, why don't you? I didn't say any lies. The boy may look like me, but his everything else is undoubtedly yours."

"Honey," Mrs. Potter started in a sweet, yet dangerous tone, "do you want to sleep in our bed tonight or do you want to keep talking?"

Mr. Potter took his time to answer the question, pretending to be thinking really hard about it. "I'll stick with the bed, thank you very much."

"Good choice, Monty. Good choice."

"I found the little rascal annoying the living daylights out of the Shacklebolts," said James helping Sirius carry his second trunk full of clothes he never wore, but was sure he would need in case 'something special happened at Hogwarts'.

"Okay. First of all, 'little rascal'? What are you? An eighty-five-year-old woman? Second of all, I was not _annoying_ them, I was simply asking them where I could get a cool Nigerian robe like the one Kingsley has. I would look stunning on one of those things, you know?" Sirius explained himself, as he leaned forward to kiss Mrs. Potter on the cheek and give Mr. Potter a quick hug.

"While I agree that you would indeed look very handsome in those colours, you shouldn't be striking up conversation when people are so eager to go home for the holidays, love. And by people, I mean myself." Mrs. Potter affectionately ran a hand through Sirius' hair, who, surprisingly, didn't complain. "Chop chop, you three. Off we go."

Mr. Potter took one of Sirius' trunks in one hand and held Mrs. Potter's hand with the other. Sirius, carrying his other trunk, had Mrs. Potter's free hand placed protectively around his shoulders when they passed directly in front of Walburga Black, waiting for her son Regulus. Right behind them, James saw Sirius' shoulder tensing and his mum rubbing her hands on his back to relax him, and then whispering something that made him laugh.

Lily noticed her boyfriend's face light up at the scene, and realized just how silly she had been for worrying. That family was not what she had expected at all. They were so much better. And she couldn't wait to spend the holidays with them.


	2. A Merry Potter Competition

**Hey everyone,**

**I already had this one written down and was going to post it next week only, but I thought the first chapter was too short and didn't say much about my story, so I decided to post this one already. I apologize for any mistakes you may find, because English is not my first language and I tend to use a lot of commas and adverbs. Please, let me know what you think of the story, who you want to see more of, who you want to see less of and any other requests or questions you may have.**

**I know there is a lot of Sirius, but his 60****th**** birthday got me pretty emotional and I got sucked on a please-give-him-a-break vibe, so I decided to give him a break from all the angst myself. I need me a happy Sirius. Let me know if I'm going too overboard.**

**Please enjoy the chapter.**

Lily knew that the Potters weren't the type to flaunt their wealth, but the house she would be staying at for the next week was the most beautiful house she had ever seen. It was not gigantic, but it was big enough for a family of four. 'Or maybe seven or eight', thought Lily. The house mirrored the Potters exactly. Imponent on the outside, but incredibly cosy and warm on the inside.

"I'm bored," grunted Sirius with his head on Mrs. Potter's lap and his legs on the brown couch's armrest.

"And I'm hungry," James grunted back, using his mother's other thigh as a pillow and Lily's legs as a foot holder.

"Well, why don't we combine business with pleasure and solve both of those problems at once?" said Mr. Potter, standing right at the kitchen door. "I was going to start getting dinner ready, but I think it is best if the three of you do it instead."

"What are you on about, Fleamont?" deadpanned Sirius.

"Since the little royals are bored and I don't exactly feel like making dinner, I think you all should try and make it for a change. Your mum's recipe book is right on the counter. Aren't you two the ones who are always telling us about living in a flat by yourselves? Time to prove to us that you're not going to starve to death when you abandon your mum and me," Mr. Potter finished dramatically, wiping away fake tears.

"Uh, fine!" grunted James, getting up from his mum's lap. "But I'll take the dessert."

Lily perked up as well. She loved cooking and had been doing that for as long as she could remember. Even when her mum didn't let her go anywhere near the oven, she would still help prepare doughs or separate the right ingredients. "I think I'll make us some pizza, then. What are your favourite toppings?"

"I'm sorry, honey. Our favourite what?" Mrs. Potter sounded genuinely confused. Lily looked around and saw that Mr. Potter was as well. She supressed a laugh.

"I'm sorry. I usually forget that pizza is a muggle thing. It should be an everybody thing, really. It is really good."

"It truly is. We had some when we went to the Lupin's last summer." James chimed in.

"Well, since Petal here is going to make the pizza and you're going to make the dessert, I'll make the drinks." Sirius stood up, walked towards the kitchen and cast a freezing spell on the barrel of butterbeer. "Done!"

He ran back into the living room and jumped back to his initial position under Mrs. Potter protecting arms.

"No way, Padfoot. You're going to help Lily with the pizzas or I'll put a freezing charm on your butt," threatened James, glaring at the boy. He got closer and started pulling Sirius out of the couch by the hand.

"Euphemia! Are you going to let your son do that? He's threatening _and_ assaulting me!" Sirius cried, looking up at Mrs. Potter with puppy dog eyes.

"Now he's my son, isn't he? When you two gang up on me he's your best friend," Mrs. Potter started poking him in the stomach playfully. "Don't give me that look, young man, you have to go there and help, you were the one who said you were bored. And _this_," she pushed him to the floor, "is for calling me Euphemia! The _nerve_ of some people, I'm telling you."

"Not even mum is on your side, Pads. Get up already and let's go." James still hadn't let go of his friend's hand and started pulling him up.

"Uh, fine," grunted Sirius in response.

"That's exactly what James said a few minutes ago! What a coincidence," joked Mrs. Potter climbing up the stairs with Mr. Potter right behind her. "Call us when you're done!"

Both boys opened their mouths to complain of the unfairness of the situation. They didn't want to cook. They just wanted to eat and then play a game of Exploding Snap or something. Before they could say anything, Lily cut them off and started making her way to the kitchen.

"Oh, come on, you two. This will be fun! We can make a competition out of it. A cook-off," she raised an eyebrow suggestively. Lily Evans knew better than anybody that if you ever wanted James Potter and Sirius Black to do something, the easiest way was to turn it into a competition or a bet. Their competitiveness outweighed any laziness. She was competitive as well, she had to admit, and she knew very well that her chances of winning a cook-off were astronomical.

"Okay, I'm listening," James looked at her interested and Sirius nodded.

"We'll each make a dish. James will do whatever it is that he knows how to make for dessert, I'll make one pizza e Sirius will make the other one," she started, moving along with the boys and pulling herself up to sit on the kitchen counter. "Then, we'll have your parents decide on what the best dish is and the winner gets..." she trailed off not knowing what the prize should be.

"The winner gets a foot and back massage," completed James, smiling sheepishly and standing right between Lily's legs, with his arms around her waist.

"I like that idea, but we have a little problem here." Sirius squinted his eyes. "Mum and dad already know who is making what."

"Okay. So maybe we can change that. You and James can make the pizzas, and I'll take the dessert."

"But I like making treacle tarts," James whined, hiding his face in Lily's neck.

"Oh, I know! What if we all make a pizza _and_ a dessert?"

"You know what, Sirius? You are _not_ a complete waste of oxygen! Good job!" Lily teased, patting him on the head. Sirius grabbed her arm quickly and bit her hand softly before she could yank it away. "But you _are_ an animal. Let's go, you two. We have a dinner to make!"

Lily conjured the pizza dough, because they were way too hungry to make it from scratch, while Sirius picked his dessert from the Potter's recipe book. James was already gathering all the ingredients for his treacle tart. Since they would all need the oven pre-heated and at basically the same temperature for both the desserts and the pizzas, Lily took care of lighting the fire with a flick of her wand. Then, Lily and Sirius got to gathering their own ingredients for their desserts.

At some point, while they were working on their recipes, Sirius spilled some milk on the floor right by Lily's feet. The girl, who was paying close attention to her cauldron cake batter, turned around to ask her boyfriend where the wooden spoons were, slipped and lost her balance. She held onto an unsuspecting James, causing the both of them to hit the floor rather painfully. The bigger problem was that James had an egg on his hand, and said hand landed straight on Lily's shoulder.

"GODRICDAMMIT!" The splash, the sound and the smell made the girl cry out in disbelief. "This is sabotage, Black! How could you?"

"I did not do it on purpose, I swear!"

It was a little hard to believe him when he could not stop laughing. Lily was sprawled with her back on the dirty floor, and James right on top of her. It looked awfully like one of the romantic scenes from that weird movie Remus had showed them one time, but Lily and James were not looking adoringly into each other's eyes. They were looking threateningly into Sirius' and getting up. Fast.

"Fuck," was all Sirius could say, before Lily sprinted after him throughout the kitchen. James was right behind her. Lily's green eyes were flashing dangerously when she cornered her brother-in-law into a wall.

"Hand me the flour," she demanded. James obeyed, his eyes demonstrating no compassion.

"Not the hair. Please, not the hair."

"I have egg dripping from my shoulder, Sirius. If I want to put some flour in your hair, I am going to because I deserve to. You're lucky I haven't asked for an egg to break on your head myself."

"Prongsie, my man. My dude. My everything. Please, calm your woman down. It was an accident. I didn't mean to," Sirius tried to plead to no avail. Lily was already holding a handful of flour over his head. He closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable.

"WHAT THE HELL, LILS!"

Sirius opened his eyes to see James' entire face covered in flour. His glasses were completely white and he was sure it was impossible for the boy to see. Lily threw her head back in a contagious laugh.

"I'm sorry, love. The opportunity was too good to pass up," said Lily, still half smiling. She got closer to the boy, cleaned his glasses with her sleeve so she could see the hazel eyes she loved so much and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I love a good food-fight as much as the next person, but it's getting late and I'm getting quite hungry, so can we please wrap this up so we can eat?"

Sirius sighed in relief a second too soon. Before they could go back to their food, Lily opened her other hand and blew the flour she had been hiding right onto his face.

"Petal, you are a menace to this world. That's exactly why you're such a good fit for my boy here," beamed Sirius, patting James in the shoulder. He couldn't be mad at her. She had literally caught both of them in a single move. "You need to join us for our next prank."

"Oh, no, thank you. I like screwing with _you_ guys, the other poor students are just innocent people."

"Just one, Lils. Please. It will be fun," insisted James, holding her from behind and kissing her cheek.

She turned around in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. "If I say yes, will you both go back to cooking?" Both boys nodded enthusiastically. "Okay! I'll play a prank with you when we go back to Hogwarts. Only one."

Lily kissed James on the nose and used her wand to clean up the godawful mess they had made and the egg from her shoulder. The three of them shoved their desserts into the oven, leaving enough space for the pizzas to go in as soon as they were finished with them.

James opted for the basics, pepperoni and cheese. Sirius went for the little less conventional, but equally mouth-watering, chicken barbecue and bacon, while Lily chose grilled ham and…

"This is a TRAVESTY! What is wrong with you, Petal? Even I know that you shouldn't put pineapple on pizza, and I'm a _wizard_! We put weird stuff on everything."

"I like it, okay? I don't really get why people don't like pineapple. They match perfectly with the ham."

"Pet, let me tell you something I've learned from Remus, okay? Pineapples have a flesh-eating en-something. So, basically, while you eat them, they are essentially eating you back. That's terrifying."

"How do you even know that, Pads?" James stared at Sirius in disbelief. He knew Sirius absorbed information quicker than anyone else he knew, but he didn't think he paid that much attention when Remus was dropping random facts at them.

"Moony seemed really excited about all the new things he learned about fruits during the holidays and you and Pete were too focused on your plates to even pretend to pay attention, so I had to endure all that agony by myself so he wouldn't feel bad. Thank you very much, you punks. Now I have all these useless pieces of information taking up space in my brain that should be occupied by more important things, like ideas for the best pranks ever."

Lily laughed, but found really sweet that Sirius was listening to Remus so he wouldn't feel left out. She kicked herself mentally for judging him too harshly during their first year. James and Sirius surprised her more and more by the second.

They finished up their pizzas and their desserts, set the table and James yelled his parents from the bottom of the staircase.

"DINNER'S READY!"

They all sat down to eat. Mr. and Mrs. Potter found the pizzas a little weird at first glance, but gave in after the very first bite. Lily, James and Sirius explained that they had to choose the best one and told them about the competition.

"I can't choose just one. They are all too good. Plus, putting things on top of a dough you didn't really make does not make you a chef now, does it?" Mr. Potter teased.

"All of them are good? Even the," James paused, pretending to be gagging, "pineapple one?"

"Are you joking? I loved the pineapple!"

"Dad, you are officially out of my will."

"Oh, no. I'm not getting any of those distasteful things you call clothes? My Merlin, what am I going to do now, eh, Pheems? Your son is a heartless boy." Mr. Potter sighed dramatically, putting his hand on his heart and making everybody at the table laugh, even James who already knew well enough how highly his father thought of his clothes to feel offended.

"Right, but you can judge the desserts, can't you?" Sirius looked at them eagerly.

"Only if you say please," sang Mrs. Potter batting her eyelids.

"Please," he mumbled.

"Please what?"

"Please, mum and dad."

"That's better," Mrs. Potter beamed. She knew that Sirius already considered them his parents, but she wanted him to feel comfortable enough to address them as such. She had made it her very own mission to make it happen by the end of the year. "We'll try them all and choose the best one. Now you all go clean up these dishes and the mess I am certain you made in that kitchen while we talk."

The three of them left the dining room with a plate filled with a slice from each of the desserts they had made and proceeded to devour it before cleaning up the kitchen. They had house elves for the rest of the house, but Mrs. Potter felt like having them clean the kitchen after cooking would help them gain a little sense of responsibility.

"Okay! We're done. You can come back now," Mr. Potter's loud voice was heard all the way to the kitchen, and Lily knew he had not even tried very hard for it to happen.

"After much deliberation, we have come to a conclusion. The cauldron cake is amazing, really. The pumpkin pasties are also delicious, but this treacle tart is just out worldly. The treacle tart is the winner," concluded Mrs. Potter, much to Lily's and Sirius' dismay.

James, with a huge grin on his face, let out a victory yell, sat on the couch, wiggling his toes and moving his shoulders around.

"Since he's your boyfriend, you go for those stinky feet," grunted Sirius, with a disgusted look on his face, standing behind his friend and begrudgingly placing his hands on each side of the boy's neck.

It was Lily's turn to reply with a "uh, fine!" and take one of James' feet the same disgusted look on her face. It was going to be a very long fifteen minutes.


	3. A Merry Potter Search

James used to love green. He was attracted to the colour at a very young age. Whenever Mrs. Potter let him choose his clothes, he would go for the green pieces he had. Until one day, when he was 5, he went to the Ministry with his dad and saw two Aurors training. Everything was allowed during Auror training, especially Unforgivable Curses. That's what James saw hitting his father's friend right in the chest. The Cruciatus Curse, a flash of green light. He heard his favourite uncle's scream and saw him contort himself on the hardwood floor and he hated it. From that day on, he hated green. His distaste for the colour only grew after entering Hogwarts and meeting all those Slytherins with their prejudiced view of the world. Now, James loves green again, but a very specific green. The green of Lily's eyes. That emerald green was exactly what James was dreaming of when Mrs. Potter opened his bedroom windows to wake him up.

"Rise and shine, my love! It's Christmas morning."

"Five more minutes, mum. I promise I'll be down in ten more minutes."

"What is it, sleepy-head? Five or ten?" chuckled Mrs. Potter.

"Fifteen… Definitely fifteen." James rolled over to the other side of the bed and covered his head with the pillow. At Hogwarts, he and Sirius always had to wake up at the crack of dawn for Quidditch practices. James was the captain of the team, and Sirius… well, Sirius was just that good of a friend. Lately, both of them were also accompanied by a certain red-head that found very sexy the way James was in charge of everything on that pitch.

"C'mon, honey. Sirius and Lily are already wreaking havoc downstairs since 8 in the morning begging us to let them open the presents, and I should say that I _am_ tempted."

James shot up from his bed, already yanking his shirt from his body and going over the drawers to find something else to wear.

"I had _forgotten_! What is wrong with me? How could I have forgotten that Lily was here and that it's _bloody Christmas?_" He stopped for a second and looked his mum dramatically in the eyes. "Mum, I think I'm going mental. Please, remember that I love you."

"I think you're spending too much time with Sirius, little drama queen," chuckled Mrs. Potter.

"That is also a possibility, yeah."

Both of them headed downstairs where a glowing Lily, a positively anxious Sirius and a very amused Mr. Potter awaited. Lily was piggybacking on Sirius, both still on their pyjamas and cheeks flustered from all the running and laughing.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," said Lily getting down from Sirius and moving towards James.

"Thanks, Lils, but I'm already up," replied James a little confused much to Lily's amusement.

"No, Sleeping Beauty is a Disney Princess that… you know what? Never mind." She gave him a little peck on the lips. They started moving to the middle of the living room, Sirius waited until they were right on top of the fluffy carpet and tackled them both to the floor in a big hug.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU FILTHY IMPS!"

Whether it was the tackling or the words he chose to wish them a Merry Christmas with, nobody will really know for sure, but the couple under Sirius and the couple on the couch burst out laughing.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Pads," laughed James. "Now can you please get off me? I can't breathe."

Sirius got up and helped Lily up, leaving James to do the work all by himself. The hazel-eyed boy turned to Christmas tree ready to tackle the presents, when he noticed that…

"There are no presents here. What happened?"

"Well, these two little troublemakers here were a little too eager to open them, so your dad and I had to hide them," explained Mrs. Potter. "And I actually liked the idea of having you go look for them."

"Muuuum! We're not kids anymore."

"Oh, I know. That's why we have really really hidden them this time. No more tops of cabinets or behind doors. You have to work for them, mister." The smile on Mr. Potter's face was completely mischievous, just like James' was when he thought of a very good prank. "Now go, good luck with it."

"Okay, Prongs," started Sirius while the three of them went upstairs to start looking for their gifts. "What did you hit them in the head with last night? Because they cannot be _normal_."

"Lay off, Sirius. They are so excited about it. It's like Easter all over again," said Lily beaming. She hadn't been able to look for Easter Eggs anymore since she started Hogwarts, because Petunia would somehow find all of them and break hers before she got to them.

"I agree with Pads, Lils."

"Oh, shocker," interrupted Lily rolling her eyes.

"No, I mean, it's just weird. We have never hidden anything before."

"Well, maybe that's the reason why they did it. Having you look for things by yourself is probably not as fun as having a bunch of us doing it. Back then you were one. Today, we're three."

Lily did have a point, and the boys were already starting to enjoy the thrill of the chase. Sirius had never participated in anything like that, giving his family history of behaving like they still lived in the Victorian Era.

During their search, James, Lily and Sirius didn't even think of splitting up. They wanted to find it together and open it together, and that made Mr. and Mrs. Potter positively glow. They were enjoying it more than anything, until James touched their bedroom's doorknob.

"JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER! DON'T EVEN THINK OF THAT!"

James jumped back at the sound of his mother's very loud and threatening voice. In his eagerness to find the gift, he had forgotten how much his parents hated having anyone inside their bedroom. It was the only place they could be Fleamont and Euphemia, and not mum and dad, or Ministry Officials. Just the two people who had met at the Three Broomsticks during a Bonfire Night. James understood it. His parents walked into his room, but they never touched anything if he didn't give them permission to.

"Sorry, mum! Just got caught up in it."

They had started to get a little frustrated by the time Sirius said he needed a bathroom break. James and Lily slid to the floor with their backs against the bathroom door waiting for Sirius to do his business.

"Your parents are scarily good at hiding things," commented Lily, looking over at James.

"I know. I'm starting to get a little concerned, really." James ran his hand through his hair.

Lily was ready to reply, when they heard a yelp from the bathroom and the door opened violently, causing Hogwart's hottest new couple to topple over.

"Get up, you two. It's like every time I see you lately, you're on the floor," teased Sirius receiving a bite on the ankle from James. "Oi, you _beast_!"

Sirius helped them both up and led them to the sink. Noticing the puzzled look on their faces, he just opened the faucet looking them straight in the eyes. Instead of the usual running water, something else was coming out of the Potter's luxurious bronze faucet. Something golden. Lily and James were absolutely baffled, while Sirius had already started laughing.

"Of course! We have going about this all wrong. We're such _idiots_! This is a _magical_ family after all. Prongs, your mum is an artist when it comes to Transfiguration. I dare say, even, that she's as good as Minnie."

James limited himself to only nodding, still shocked by his mum's creativity. Lily was too shocked to even think straight. The golden thing finished leaving the faucet and, with a _plop_ became a common gift box.

"Hey, Euphemia! Whose present is that laying on your sink?"

"Sirius Black, if you call me Euphemia one more time, I will make you _eat_ your presents," threatened Mrs. Potter jokingly. "The golden ones are James', the red ones are yours and the green ones are Lily's"

"Uh, nice, so this one's mine. Step away, Pads!"

James used his shoulder to push Sirius away from the big golden box in front of them and got to unwrapping it quite carefully, which exasperated Lily to a point where all she could do was let out a frustrated "Oh, for Merlin's sake!" and exchange looks with Sirius. The hazel-eyed boy already knew what it was from the elongated shape of the box, but that did not make it any less amazing.

"The Silver Arrow!" James was immediately starstruck by the broom in front of him. It was gorgeous, but the boy wanted to know if it was fast. He tried heading outside, only to be blocked by his girlfriend.

"You are going to help us find our presents, before you go and try your new toy."

After having found out that the presents had been transfigured to fit into the weirdest of spaces, it was a little easier for the 7th-years. Sirius had found his prank set inside a Floo Powder bag, Lily had found her potions ingredient set, with even the most expensive ingredients for her favourite Potions – James undoubtedly knew them, as well as her signature spells, because Lily Evans was a woman of habits – inside the cookbook they had used two nights ago, James found his new glasses in a jewelry box. Lily went all out, and literately stepped inside the Potter's chimney, which definitely played out. She stepped out holding not one, but two green sparkly boxes.

Lily knelt down to open them, choosing to open the bigger one first. Inside was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. The midnight blue, long-sleeved dress was something out of a fashion magazine. She thanked the Potters profusely before turning to her second gift.

"This one is mine and James', but you will know who chose what," said Sirius with a smile so soft she knew no one else would ever see one like it, unless they were the Potters, her, Remus or Peter.

Lily gasped at the sight of the beautiful silver necklace on top of red fabric. She lifted the necklace up to see the white rose bloom and her favorite smell taking over her senses. Even though her name was Lily, the white roses had always been her favourite flowers and not many people knew that. She was so mesmerized at the sight of the flower blooming and retreating that she almost forgot to take a better look at the red fabric underneath it. She unfolded it to find Quidditch robes exactly like the ones James wore to matches. She knew Sirius was the one to pick that out, because he was the only one she mentioned wanting to go watch Gryffindor in full attire to. She threw her arms over both boys, her boys, in a tight bear hug, before kissing Sirius on the cheek and James on the lips.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter announced that there was only one more gift for each of the boys to find, but they were too _cold_.

"THE FRIDGE!" They both shouted in unison.

Lily could barely keep up. They were running faster than ever. James yanked the door open to gasp loudly while Sirius eyes widened.

"Is this- is this really real?" Sirius was shaking with excitement.

"Yes, honey. And it's all yours."

James moved out of the way, so Sirius could step into the appliance and guide a gigantic motorbike out of it. Lily's eyes widened in shock. She had heard him talk about how he was going to get a bike as soon as he finished Hogwarts and how free he would feel once he was riding it.

"Oh, and it flies too," added Mr. Potter, with a glow in his eyes.

"Are you SERIOUS?"

"No, honey. You are," laughed Mrs. Potter. James smiled more broadly than he already was with his mother's joke.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," smiled Mr. Potter. "While you may be Sirius, we are your family and you deserve it."

There was not a single dry eye in the Potter house when Sirius hugged both adults and said "Thank you, mum! Thank you, dad! I love you."

"We love you too, bud," replied Mr. Potter holding the boy he came to love as a son the second his James told him about how much fun they had at Hogwarts and how happy they made each other.

"Hey! What about me? I'm family too," pouted James, crossing his arms.

"I love you too, Prongs. Quite a lot, actually." Sirius wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder before turning to Lily. "And you too, Petal. I'm glad you're part of the family now."

"Everybody loves everybody! That's the spirit!" laughed Lily.

Sirius stepped closer to the bike to take a better look at it and noticed something odd.

"Why are there two keys here?"

"That's James' gift, actually," said Mrs. Potter heading over to her sons.

"Am I getting a motorbike too?" James beamed.

"You already got a broom, son. To each their own mean of transportation," joked Mr. Potter.

"This is the key to your new house, my boy. You have more than earned it. You have matured beyond words this year and have shown us that you can be trusted. Both of you have, so," she took another key from her pocket, "this one is for you, Sirius. It breaks my heart that you're both old enough to live on your own, and I don't ever want you to think you are not welcome here, do you hear me?"

The boys nodded fighting back tears and rushed to hug their mother, being promptly joined by their father.

"Oh, wait! There's one more thing I have gotten for each one of you," said Mr. Potter stepping away from the group and returning with four wrapped presents. One golden, one red, one emerald, and one black for Mrs. Potter. All four were of the same size and they unwrapped it at the same time. Beneath the papers, there were four copies of the exact same picture of Sirius cornered against the wall with his eyes shut and an expression of despair, Lily turning over with a devilish grin and blowing a handful of flour in James' unsuspecting face. Although they couldn't hear it, they could see exactly what James had said, and then Lily and Sirius bursting out laughing.

"Now, each house can have that moment eternalized," smiled the man.

Mrs. Potter hurried over to hang the picture right beside one of James, Sirius, Remus and Peter having a snowball fight in their backyard before turning to say "I think we've had more than our share of emotional stances for today. Why don't we all go check out the boys' new places and then come back so we can all take turns riding James' broom and Sirius' bike with them, eh?"

Everyone else smiled broadly and nodded affirmatively. James and Sirius with their keys in hand, James with his hand in the small of Lily's back, heading towards the door being followed closely by their parents.

Lily, by seeing the two keys and registering that James and Sirius had both really gotten a house for Christmas, was reminded of just how much money the Potter family had, but looking at the four of them there, together, she knew that it didn't matter the size or the price of the present if the love was the reason behind it all. And that was something no money could buy. The Potter family _was_ rich, but in more ways than people actually realized.

**I saw the idea for Lily's present in a Headcannon post about her being the Ultimate Quidditch Girlfriend and I loved it. Kuddos to whoever wrote that.**

**Also, I don't know if fridges exist in the Wizarding World, but even if not electricity-powered fridges, maybe another kind. Everybody needs to store their food, right?**

**Thank you for everybody reading the story. It would mean the world to me if you could just leave a review!**

**Remus and the others are arriving at the next chapter? Are you excited? Because I sure am!**


	4. A Merry Potter Trip

A Merry Potter Trip

Fleamont Potter was one of, if not _the_ most, famous cosmetic potioneers in the entire Wizarding World. His hair potions were nothing short of exceptional and took England and America alike by storm when they were released. Everybody wanted a piece of him, so it was no surprise to anyone when the whole family got invited to go to Brazil for 4 days, on the condition that Fleamont gave a small lecture to the students at Castelobruxo on cosmetic potions.

"Hey, kids!" called out Mr. Potter dragging his trunk down the stairs. "Has Remus arrived yet?"

"Right here, Mr. P." the boy said from the kitchen, where James, Sirius and Lily had been for the past few minutes grabbing a bite before they were off to their little family trip.

"Great! Pheems, love! You're the only one left! Hurry up!"

"I would be able to be on time if I didn't have to gather everything you tend to forget, honey." She was carrying her trunk in one hand and a big black bag in the other, and rolling her eyes, she threw the bag at her husband. "How are you going to teach those kids potions, when you don't even remember to take the bloody ingredients with you?"

"They will certainly have it there, won't they?"

"Have you ever seen a grey seal in Brazil?"

"Well, no."

"That's because there aren't any! It is crazy expensive and difficult to get enough for the entire student body _plus_ the invitee some fur when he didn't ask for it in advance."

"Alright. Alright. You are right," he kissed the top of her head, "as always."

Beaming, Mrs. Potter headed to the kitchen to take a bite from James' sandwich, who didn't even seem offended by the gesture. With a flick of her wand, she cleaned the kitchen and was right back in the living room with everybody else.

"So, how are we going exactly?"

"By portkey," smiled Mr. Potter at Remus. The boy didn't seem exactly thrilled about it, "Oh, don't worry, Remus. It will be okay."

Remus didn't seem so sure. He looked at his friends for some support, only to find Lily also queasy. James and Sirius seemed perfectly chill about the whole thing, having done it multiple times. He didn't really know how his body would react to the whole portkey situation, but it _definitely_ did not handle well apparition. The werewolf thought it would feel basically the same, and he had no idea of just how right he was. As soon as they stepped in Brazilian soil, Remus leaned against a tree and let out everything he had eaten at the Potters'.

Once recovered, he stepped inside the house and took in the scenery around them. They were all staying at a charming cottage in a small, but very fancy (for what he could gather from looking outside the window), village. Sirius was already halfway up the stairs, with James one step behind him trying to grab his shirt and get ahead, so he could keep the second biggest room. It was common sense that the biggest one would be for the older couple. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were watching their sons' little show with an amused look on their faces, and Lily was approaching him.

"Are you okay there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, pressing his temples. "Just got a little nauseous from the trip, that's all. Ouch, that must have hurt," he added when Sirius tumbled down the stairs, dragging James with him.

"Let's just hope they make it in one piece to whatever bedroom it is they are fighting over," said the Head Girl, putting one of Remus' arms around her shoulders and leaning against him, as soon as her boyfriend and his best friend got back up and restarted their race.

It turns out that no race was necessary. There were only two bedrooms, the master suite and the guest suite, and the four of them would have to share the guest suite. Sirius and James were then fighting over who would get the top bunk, only to finally realize that there were two, and they both could have it. Once the little competitions were over, all four of them realized they were quite eager to explore the new country.

...

"I'm not saying you're as big of a trouble maker as we are, Moons, but I'm also not _not_ saying that."

"Then how, Padfoot, do I get at least 50% less detentions than you and Prongs?"

"Easy! You're bloody boring in class, so the faculty thinks you're bloody boring in life. Something that could not be farther from the truth."

"You know," whispered Lily walking hand in hand with James a few steps behind the bickering pair, "he could have just said that Remus is smart enough not to get caught."

"Trust me, Pet, that _is_ Sirius saying that Remus is smart enough not to get caught."

"The boy really needs to brush up on his communication skills, doesn't he?"

James laughed knowing very well that Sirius could charm a niffler into handing out money if he wanted to. He _could_ be the sweetest and most polite person ever, but usually he just didn't feel like it. The Marauders used to joke that he was saving his charm and eloquence for the first time he faced a jury for whatever crime he was going to commit while drunk out of his butt.

"I've got an idea," said James stopping suddenly. "Why don't we lose them and go swim in a lake for a little bit? It's not always that we get a crazy hot few days in December."

James was right. It _was_ insanely hot outside and it _was_ December. For people used to a white Christmas, having a very orange and bright one was a reason to celebrate. Lily smiled and started to slow down her pace, being mirrored by James. Soon enough, they were quite behind the other boys so that they wouldn't hear when the couple took a right instead of the intended left.

James seemed to know where he was headed, and Lily just allowed herself to be stirred in the right directions. It was just like being back at Hogwarts. The boy had an extreme sense of direction. You showed him a path once, and he would remember it forever. It was weird, really, but Lily never thought about asking him about it.

"So, have you been here before? You seem to know quite well where you're going."

"I have, yes. We came here one during the summer holidays with Pete's family. Pete is not a big fan of the country, because of the insects and such, but his cousin is absolutely fascinated by the creatures they have here. Plus, Sirius heard McGonagall say something about how she came here a couple of times because of the exchange program Hogwarts has with Castelobruxo, y'know, so he was curious."

"He loves that woman, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah. You should see just how much he spent on the robes he gave her for Christmas this year. I mean, he usually splurges on her presents, but – over here and watch your step, there is a tricky part right ahead – well, this year he just went all out. I guess it was from red tartan and he had it made all the way in Scotland or something."

"Does she send him something back?"

"Well, she – here, take my hand – she does, actually. She always attaches a letter saying how inappropriate it is, but that she appreciates it and sends a buttload of chocolate frogs with it. She tells him to share them with me, in her letters, I mean. He does, although I assume it is not a very fair division."

"If it were, it wouldn't be Sirius, would it?"

"No, I guess not," laughed the boy.

"Oh, wow!"

That was all Lily could say. The place was absolutely breathtaking. It was surrounded by trees and a quite inviting patch of grass with the most beautiful wild flowers Lily had ever seen. The water from the lake was crystal clear and it reflected the scenery and the unforgiving sun above. Although very beautiful, it was still a very hot day. Lily approached the lake, and stepped on one of the rocks alongside it.

"I would be careful, if I were you. The last time I stepped on one of those, I fell right inside," said a voice that definitely did not belong to James.

"How the hell did you two get here?" James seemed as confused as Lily, who took Remus' advice and stepped away.

"You're not the only one with a good sense of direction, Prongs," smirked Sirius.

"But we didn't see you anywhere behind us," remarked Lily scratching her head and dropping her shoulder. She really was looking for some alone time with her boyfriend – which she would get plenty of during that trip since they had Remus to distract Sirius, just not on that particular moment.

"That's because we weren't, Petal, dear. There are a few different paths to this lake, and I remember all of them." Sirius tapped his forefinger on his temples, standing tall and proud. He was right, James was not the only one with a good sense of direction. In fact, all of the Marauders were pretty well-trained in that skill.

"Listen, I love talking as much as the next person, but I've been listening to Sirius' voice all by myself for the past half hour. So, if you would be so kind as to put me out of my misery and just jump inside –" Remus was not able to finish, as Lily pushed him inside the clear lake.

"This is for being mean to my brother-in-law," added Lily once Remus had emerged. "Everybody knows he has the voice of an angel and nobody gets tired of hearing him talk."

The boys laughed at the sarcasm her voice carried, and Sirius planted a kiss on her forehead and, with the hand that was not wrapped around Lily's shoulders, pretended to wipe away his tears.

It really was a sight to behold and James could not feel more at peace than at that moment. The landscape was beautiful indeed, but nothing would ever top the sight of Lily and Sirius holding each other and Remus splashing water at them. James started taking his shoes and socks off, and running towards the lake, yelled "CANNONBALL!"

"Two down, two to go. What do you say, Petal?" Sirius turned to Lily suggestively. "Shall we join them?"

Lily didn't even need to answer. She took her shoes off with nothing but her feet and Sirius followed suit. Sirius thought about taking his shirt off, but seeing his best friends in the water, fully-clothed he didn't think it was fair to them. Plus, it was so hot outside, that he figured their clothes would dry pretty quickly. He picked the girl up in his arms and ran with her, jumping right in with her. The water was cool, but not as cold as it usually was back home. It was just refreshing. Lily let go of Sirius' neck and swam towards her boyfriend, wrapping her legs around his waist when she got to him. He gave her a kiss.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look?"

"Every day, James. Just every day," laughed the red-head, taking a wet strand of hair that had clung to his forehead.

"Well, it is true. You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she blushed. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He gave her another kiss. And another. And one more. Until…

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look?" said a voice behind them.

"Every day, Pads. Just every day," Remus was clutched to Sirius' waist in the same way Lily was to James'.

"Well, it is true. You look beautiful," Sirius batted his eyelids and caressed Remus' cheek.

"Thank you," he replied pretending to flick his hair over his shoulder and batting his eyelids back at Sirius. "I love you"

"I love you too," Sirius cupped Remus' cheeks with his hands and got closer.

"OH, HELL NO! YOU'RE NOT KISSING ME!" Remus threw his body back and away from Sirius' pouting lips and began swimming as fast as he could with Sirius right behind, chasing him.

"Don't run away from me, my love! Come back!"

Even though they were mocking them, Lily and James could not contain their laughter. If they ever had to count their blessings, they would sure count Sirius and Remus twice.

…

**For anyone wondering, McGonagall's robes that James mentions being a gift from Sirius is the one she wears at the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.**

**Also, we only have one more chapter left, and I'll try to upload it by next Sunday the latest. I'm really enjoying writing some uncomplicated, fell-good fanfiction. Let me know if you enjoy this kind of stories as much as I do, or you prefer some angst.**

**I still don't know what I'm going to do for my next stories, but if you want to read anything else from me, I would love to get some suggestions on themes, characters and even pairings.**


	5. A Merry Potter New Year

The party was perfect. Everything was, really, as far as Lily was concerned. Her dress, the one the Potters had given her, was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen, the food was great, the music was a lot better than Lily had anticipated, – and if she was being honest, she thought it would be quite boring – but most importantly, her friends were all there.

Marlene was twirling around in James' arms, while they put on quite a show for the guests. Alice was sitting right beside Frank, her boyfriend, resting from her own twirling and moving on the dance floor. Remus had just left to get himself and Lily some butterbeer, because James had also put her through the torture of having to dance in front of all those strangers. The good thing was that Sirius had practiced quite a lot with her in the last two days, otherwise she would have positively freaked out and stepped a handful of times on her boyfriend's toes.

Scanning her crowd looking for her dance teacher, Lily couldn't find his elegant figure anywhere. Not by the table where Mr. and Mrs. Potter chatted with some family friends, not by the dance floor waiting for the song to be over so he could go dance with Marlene, not catching up with Frank Longbottom, whom he adored, not by the fireplace, where a very pretty witch conversed with one of James' cousins. He was _nowhere_. She hadn't seen him since… Well, since the party started, if she were being honest.

"Hey, Remus. Have you seen Sirius? I can't find him," said the girl, taking her butterbeer from her friend's hand.

"Honestly, no I haven't. He's usually chatting up with Mr. Potter's friend who can't speak English very well."

"Baptiste Bouchard. I met him. For some reason, he thought I also spoke French."

"He thinks everybody does, since Sirius and James do."

"Hold up," Lily looked positively shocked. "James can speak French?"

"Well, kind of. I mean, he can get by. It's not like he can give a whole lecture in French, but I also doubt he could do it in English too, so," the boy trailed off, raising one eyebrow suggestively. Lily laughed, both at Remus' joke and the thought of James giving a lecture. Any lecture.

"I'll try to find him."

"James? He's right there with his parents."

"No, you buffoon. Sirius"

"Rude, but okay. Go ahead."

Lily went straight to her boyfriend to ask him about his friend. Turned out he had not seen him either, but he was of great help telling her of all the places he could be and pointing the location of his two-way mirror, if she did not really feel like looking for him all over the house. The redhead went straight to James' bedroom, not before thanking him and kissing him on the cheek, and took the mirror, because, indeed, she did _not_ feel like looking. She said Sirius' name, loud and clear, just as James had instructed her.

"Where the hell are you?," demanded the girl as soon as grey eyes took the place of her green ones on the surface on the mirror.

"Roof," Sirius said, matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"I'm on the roof, Pet. Wanna come over?"

"Actually, I do. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Second door to your right, seeing as you're in James' bedroom."

Lily climbed the precarious stairs that were right behind the door Sirius pointed her to. She imagined that, by the state of the steps and everything else in that room, that door was not really used by any of the other residents of the house. She was wrong.

"Prongs and I come here every December 31st to escape from having to wish all those people a Happy New Year," Sirius said with an affected voice, but not even turning to Lily when he spoke. "Mum and Dad caught onto that three years ago and, now, they climb up here exactly one minute before midnight to be the first ones we see at the beginning of every New Year."

"That's actually quite nice. Y'know, the fact that your family is the last and first thing you see every year," she sat down by his side, facing forward as well. "But it still doesn't explain why you're here two whole hours before."

"That's because I don't know either. Guess I grew a little tired of all the chit-chat."

"How long have you been up here?"

"Not long, really. I was playing the piano with Barnaby Goodwit at the other room, and then people started to arrive and request songs," he sighed. "I was planning on playing one or two, you know? Next thing I knew, I was on the twelfth."

"I wish I were there to see. I have never heard you do it before. I bet you suck," she nudged him with her shoulder.

Sirius laughed. He liked Lily. He really did. She was like a little sister to him and he was really happy that she was going to be just that when she married his little brother.

"I do. Big time."

"What are we doing here, then?"

"Well, _I_ am looking at the stars. _You_ are annoying the living daylights out of me," mocked him, raising an eyebrow and turning his head to face her for the first time. His eyes were a little red, and Lily realized that he had been crying or on the verge of doing so. Suddenly, _looking at the stars_ didn't sound so mundane, specially if you knew which constellation he was staring at so intently. Leo. Alpha Leonis.

Lily was not going to push him. He was going to talk about it whenever he was ready. "Which one are you?"

"The most beautiful one, of course." Sirius pointed to the brightest star and Lily smiled. It was fitting.

"It's almost as big as your ego, if I do say so myself," remarked a voice behind them. Marlene looked a little flustered, but undeniably gorgeous under the moonlight.

"Nice to have you up here too, Marly," replied Sirius rolling his eyes. "How did you get here?"

"I grew kind of tired of dancing with James and was trying to find his girlfriend, so _she_ could go do that," the blonde cast a pointed look towards Lily.

"Sorry. I didn't really feel like making a fool of myself all night long," the girl shrugged.

"Also, she likes me best, let's be honest," Sirius winked. "Everybody does."

"Not everybody."

"Ah, man. Don't do that to me, Frank."

A few minutes later, every single Hogwarts student that attended the annual Potter New Year's Eve was on the mansion's roof, except for the Potter himself. Sirius little refuge had become a raging extension of the tamed party happening downstairs. Remus, arriving right after Frank and Alice, had brought enough butterbeer to land everyone tipsy.

Sirius was balancing himself on top of a broom trying to reach a star, Lily was giggling piggybacking on Remus trying to catch Sirius, Alice and Frank were playing a weird two-person version of dodgeball with a foam quaffle, while Marlene tried to intercept it.

Lily managed to get a quick grip of the bristles, enough to destabilize Sirius, making him fall on top of her and Remus.

"Honestly, it's like every time I see you lately, you're on the floor," James smirked at his fallen friends and girlfriend.

"PRONGSIE BOY!" Sirius tackled James, bringing him down with the bunch of them. He heard a sharp sound and, looking around, laid eyes on the bottle of Firewhiskey James had nicked from the party. "Ooh, you came bearing gifts and that is exactly why I love you."

"That I did, but apparently you are all doing very well without me at _our_ spot."

"It's your fault, you know? If you hadn't sent Pet up here, I would still be all by my merry self."

"That is the biggest bullshit of the century, but do go on," interrupted Lily.

"How about we just cut the crap and play a little drinking game, huh?"

"McKinnon, my dear, you are quickly becoming one of my favourites," said Sirius kissing her on the cheek.

"That's offensive," deadpanned James and Remus in unison. Sirius gave both of them a kiss on the cheek as well.

"So, what are playing exactly?" Alice joined the little circle her friends were forming on the floor.

"Never have I ever, of course," smirked Marlene.

"Oof, the chances of that working out fine are slim," remarked Lily.

She was right. By the end of it, they were all wasted and knew much more of each other than what was considered healthy and sharable. That's how the Potters found all of their teenagers. Drunk and having laughing fits every time they looked at each other, mumbling intelligible things under their breaths.

"Mum! Dad! You're already here!"

"Of course, son. It's tradition, isn't it? One minute before midnight," pointed Mr. Potter, showing James his watch.

"Shit!" James sobered up a little with the surprise. "One minute already."

The countdown began. Alice and Frank held onto each other, Sirius hugged Mrs. Potter's side with one arm and rested his head on Marlene's shoulder, who, in turn, looped her arm around Remus'. Lily and James were at the very end of the line they'd formed, fingers intertwined and looking only at each other and nothing else.

"FIVE," cried Sirius and Remus.

"FOUR," joined in Frank and Alice.

"THREE," yelled Marlene excitedly.

"TWO," continued the present Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

"ONE," finished the future Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The clock struck twelve along with their well-wishes and fireworks flew from their wands upwards. It was a beautiful show. Being there, with their friends and family, drunk and happy at the very first second of the New Year was telling them all just how amazing it was going to be.

James and Lily felt in their hearts that something really special was going to go down, and they wanted to start the year right. They looked at each other, and for the first time they said what they both had felt for so long.

"I love you, Lils."

"I love you, James."


End file.
